North Carolina is Scary

I'm spending Christmas with friends in North Carolina.  I met a weird chick at the house here who has the most cross-eyed expression I've ever seen.  Kind of gives me the creeps.  I may be googly-eyed, but at least I'm not cross-eyed like Saucy here.  And what kind of name is Saucy?  And look at her puffy cheeks.  Somebody ought to tell her about the Atkins diet.

LadyBird House Rules!

You've got to check out these new outfits from LadyBird House.  I heart all of her clothes, but especially the skully dresses.  You know how partial I am to skullies.

LadyBird House is awesome.  They have lots of adorable Blythe clothes for sale on etsy; you've just got to have some of these in your closet.

Blythecon 2012

I'm already getting excited about this year's Blythecon.  Blythecon 2012 is going to be held August 5 in Dallas, Texas at the Gaylord Texan Hotel and Convention Center.  Check their website for more details.  I will definitely be there, and I expect to see a lot of pals there as well.  Put it on your calendar NOW.

Life's a Beach

Sun, sand, and a sassy Saffy... what more could anyone ask for?

Kennedy Pearl's Fourth

I had a fabulous Fourth of July!  I especially enjoyed showing off my new patriotic outfit.  Very red, white, and blue.  I can even re-use it for le quatorze juillet.  Oh la la!

Kennedy Pearl Goes to Hong Kong

I just got back from Hong Kong where I did lots and lots of shopping.  I'm so excited about my new clothes and my new friend, Connie Lai, at C.C. Toys.  Connie's shop is on the third floor of the King Wah Centre in Kowloon, and you can meet lots of other Blythes there.  Some of the girls are modeling clothes and some are waiting on relocation orders; they're all very beautiful and interesting in their own unique ways.  It was so hard to choose from all the clothing Connie had for sale.  She even had sofas that you could buy there, although I wasn't sure if we had room for something like that in the luggage.  I bought several new outfits including one for the Fourth of July (which I will get to wear soon) and one for Chinese New Years (which I won't get to wear for a while).  I even got a Victorian outfit with a beautiful dress that has a cameo on the collar (not sure when the appropriate time to wear that might be).

Here I am at C.C. Toys, standing in front of a wall of girls waiting to find out where their new homes are going to be.  I remember what those days were like, full of anticipatory excitement and wonder.  If you look closely, you can see another Saffy right behind me.  Isn't she gorgeous?

Here I'm standing in front of the models, primping in their beautiful costumes and outfits for my benefit.  One of the girls is wearing the Victorian outfit that I bought.  I wonder which one of us is going to look better in it (I'm pretty sure it's going to be me.).

As soon as I got back to the hotel, I couldn't resist trying on at least one of my new outfits.  I decided to model the Chinese New Years dress.

Here I am in the Chinese New Years dress and jacket, standing in front of the window in our hotel room.  We had an awesome view; Hong Kong is basically mountains surrounded by water and so has some breathtaking scenery.  My Chinese New Years outfit also has matching hair bows and a purse.  Am I not going to be the cutest little Chinese girl at next year's Chinese New Years' party?  And yes, I was born in China, so even though I'm blonde, I'm technically Chinese.

Although we had a great time in Hong Kong, it's nice to be home again.  If you're ever in Hong Kong, be sure to pay a visit to Connie Lai and her girls (And you might even want to think about letting the Saffy Blythe girl come live with you, because as everyone knows, Saffys are awesome.).

Kennedy Pearl and the Swan

I found a small pond today where a giant swan lived.  The swan was very friendly and we talked about all kinds of things.

He even invited me to crawl up onto his back which I did.  It took me a while to get up there, but it was really worth the effort.

After I got myself situated, we set off across the pond.

There were ducks at the pond who stared at us. I reminded them that it's rude to stare, so they pretended to preen and chase bugs instead.

We finished our tour of the pond and I slid down.  Just so you know, getting off a swan is much easier than getting on.

After I climbed down, the swan told me that his name was Zeus and I decided I'd better leave before anything creepy happened.  If he'd told me his name beforehand, there wouldn't have been a pond ride, that's for sure.  But maybe I'm being paranoid.  Anyway, I enjoyed the ride, but I hightailed it out of there just the same.

Froggy friends

Okay, I have to admit that I thought the frogs traveling with me would be a huge pain in my arse, but miracle of miracles, it hasn't turned out that way at all.  They've been rather fun to have around and they've actually had some great ideas lately.  We've had lots of fun seeing the sites and playing games and such.  So, anyway, this blog post is dedicated to friendship, and specifically my friendship with Lani and Pali, the Wonder Frogs.

And so Pali doesn't feel left out, here's one of the three of us.

Who would've thought that hanging out with frogs could be so much fun?  We have a busy week ahead of us with a wine tasting, tours of the French concession and the Jewish ghetto, a museum tour, and a seminar on Chinese tea.  We're all looking forward to the events, but it's even more exciting to get to do these things with good friends.

Making Friends

Today's pics are of me making some friends in Shanghai.  My new friends don't say a whole lot, or even move around, but they seem pretty cool.  I actually prefer the quiet type.  Prevents me from having to listen to a lot of inane blather which is what most people spout anyway.  So... without further ado....

My new friend gives me a boost.

This is my friend whom I've dubbed Scooter.  I don't know his actual name because he doesn't seem to talk.  Which, as I've said before, is not necessarily a bad thing, but it might be nice to at least know his name.  Anyway, Scooter is very friendly and lets me sit on his trunk, which I like very much.  As a short person, I appreciate getting a lift every now and then.  It gives me a whole new view of things.  

I also made another friend.  He doesn't say much either, but I was able to find out that his name is Fu.  Check him out.  

I was just taking a break when I realized I was leaning on someone's foot.

Fu is huge!  I thought I was just leaning against a post or something, but then I looked up.....

Whoa, that's one big dude.

Yikes!  I was leaning against a massive paw that belonged to an even more massive and horribly frightening creature.  As it turns out, Fu is very gentle (unless you mess with the stuff he's guarding), and I get the idea that he would have a great sense of humor if he would only say something.  I was too scared to ask for a lift fom Fu, but I bet I could see the whole world from his shoulders.  

So, these are my two new friends.  I didn't realize I'd meet such huge creatures in a country full of small folk, but it's a nice change.  Variety is the spice of life, or so they say, and god knows I like things spicy. 

So, I'm off to meet new people (or creatures) and maybe get some spicy food while I'm at it.  As they say around here, "Zai jian."  In other words, sayonara.  

Blowin' in the Wind

Here I am getting my hair blown by the breezes at Changi Village Beach.  I actually wore a sundress to the beach to see what the frogs were so excited about.  It just looks like a bunch of sand and water to me.  But they're jumping up and down for froggy joy, so I guess they've found their niche.  Whatever floats their boat, I guess you could say.  Get it?  Yeah, sorry about that.

Anyway,  it'll be nice to get back to some decent fall weather in Shanghai.  The Shanghainese are already wrapped up in their winter gear (poufy coats and wool scarves), but it's only in the 50s.  Weird.  It's really just nice sweater weather.  I heard from someone back home in Atlanta today that it's 15 degrees and snowing.  Hee hee.  What would the Shanghainese wear for that?

A Saffy in Singapore

Well, we've left Shanghai for sunnier (and less polluted) climes.  We've been in Singapore since Saturday and so far, things have been just fine (with the notable exceptions of the frogs almost becoming dinner's main course and me getting sand in places I didn't know existed).  Otherwise, it's very nice with warm temps and sunny blue skies, good food, and polite friendly people.  This pic was taken from our balcony; you can see the water in the distance. The frogs are keen to take a cruise but I'm a bit leery of them being so close to the water knowing how much they love that sort of thing (and also how clumsy they can be).  They feel quite at home here, being from Hawaii as they are.  Myself, I feel a bit out of place among the sundresses and squawking birds.  But I have to admit the food is super-yummy and free booze at happy hour never killed anybody (well, it hasn't killed me yet, anyway).

We're planning a tour of Chinatown's Red Light District.  Seems an educational sort of thing to do.  One must stay current on recent goings-on at the brothels, don't you think?  I guess it's a when-in-Rome sort of thing, but it was either that or a tour of the WWII prisoner-of-war camps, and that just seemed TOO educational for a stay in such a laid-back place.  So, look out, hookers, here we come!  I'm not sure what one wears on such a tour, but I doubt that my sock monkey dress would fit in.  So I guess I need to go scrounge through my luggage and see what I can find.  And I do need to help Lani and Pali prepare for the tour too; Chinatown can be a precarious place for a pair of frogs.

Replaced by Frogs?

It's true.  Thora has chickened out and has had to be replaced by frogs.  Not a suitable substitute in my opinion, but the frogs are excited.  In Thora's defense, she does have a lot on her plate these days; I mean, being sulky and difficult requires a great deal of energy and she certainly excels at both.  I just hope she doesn't change her mind later on; I'd hate to see the frogs disappointed.  They've already got their little bags packed.

Spiders!

Check out Thora in her spider jacket.  This is definitely one of the things that will go with us on our trip.

Preparing for the Fall

The girls and I have been hard at work preparing for the fall. And no, I'm not talking about leaving the Garden with our tails between our legs; I'm talking about the coming Autumn which will officially be here as of next Thursday. We've been shopping, finding all the great snuggly things that exist in the world. Cute, snuggly things, I should say. The ugly snugglies aren't really on my list of must-haves.  I'm anticipating the cool breezes in my psychedelic mushroom cape and matching hat.  Yes, I know: I am a goddess.

Thora and I are also getting ready for a trip.  The details, for the moment, have to remain a secret.  But it's going to be super-cool and I promise to post pics documenting every moment so all our buds can stay in the loop.  Just so you know, we're really excited.  The hardest part (of course!) is trying to decide what to pack.  Hope the cape fits in my luggage; I'd really hate to leave that behind.  

Elliott Investigates

My friend, Elliott, has discovered a cemetery close by that she swears is haunted.  I think that sounds pretty silly, myself, but she says that she's "seen" things there.  And that she's even talked to ghosts.  I have no idea what one might talk to a ghost about.  I mean, it rules out most of your idle conversational topics, such as, "Some weather we're having," and "Did you see the price of gas this morning?"  I guess if anybody can talk to ghosts, it'll be Elliott, though.  Yesterday we had a bizarro conversation about (of all things!) death.  She thinks death will be like returning to your mother's bosom (or some such crap).  Personally, I plan on avoiding death indefinitely.  I didn't really care for my mother much, anyway; have no plans on ever viewing that cleavage again.  Anyway, faithful friend that I am (or maybe just bored-out-of-my-skull girl that I am), I've decided to document Elliott's experiences in the cemetery.  Maybe I can capture some ghosts on film, or better yet, prove to Elliott that no such thing exists.

Hello, Facebook!

Okay, today I finally broke down and joined Facebook (see my profile pic above; aren't I cute?). It just seemed like one of those things that you HAVE to do these days. Everyone who's anyone (and plenty who aren't) have a blog and a Facebook account. Looks like I've finally started running with the herd again, folks.

New Hats

Michelle made bunches of new hats for our store on etsy. Here are some of the girls modeling them for her.

Thora's Bumpy Hat

Thora has a new hat; it's blue and white and bumpy. Anyway, she likes it, so I guess all is well. And yes, she's wearing Eliot's glasses here; wonder if Eliot's noticed yet.

Olympia's Heart (necklace, that is).

Olympia's wearing a heart necklace here that's available in her shop, Sweet Somethings. It's having a grand opening next week. I can't wait to go see what else they have!

I Work Hard on My Blog (I swear, it's true!).

Here I am working on the blog. I want to work harder on it from now on. I've been sort of neglectful. But things are gonna change pronto. Really. They are.

Perky Buns Is Open for Business

The Perky Buns Coffee Shop & Bakery is now open for business. On her opening day, Rhoda's offering some scrumptious looking doughnuts, some rolls shaped like animals, and a white-iced cake. And, of course, coffee.

Rhoda Sets Up Her Coffee Shop

Rhoda couldn't find decent coffee in the neighborhood, so she decided to open her own coffee shop/bakery. She plans on making decadent cakes and things to go along with her coffee. I'm excited about this, as are some of the other girls. It'll be nice to get a good cup o' Joe around here for a change.

Here she's hanging paintings on the wall; she's going for a hip bohemian kind of feeling for the cafe (only without the hippie stink).

Pumpkin Party!!

I went to a party this weekend and met a whole bunch of cool girls. We made neat-o headbands (which we're wearing in this pic; aren't we cute?), we ate, we talked, we had a fantastic time. And look at the cute pumpkins that one of my new friend's mom made us!! They're the cutest!


The girl on my right in the pics is Molli. She's really cool, and guess what? She even has her own blog. I'm hoping we'll get to be great friends. She put her pumpkin on her head! Isn't she funny!?

Ash's Sister, Toni, Moves in

Another girl arrived: this time, it's Ash's sister, Toni Manero. She's really cool and has totally hit it off with Rhoda. They're already best friends and are looking for an apartment to share. Toni loves to boogie and collects trolls and Hello Kitty. Everybody loves her already!

Ronald McDonald Had a Sex Change?

Whoa! You've got to see this new girl in the neighborhood. Her hair is totally bright red, and I don't mean Lindsay Lohan red. I don't even mean Lucille Ball red. I mean fire engine, stop sign, Ronald McDonald red!! Her name's Mackenzie Shea, and she says she's totally into mushrooms. I'm not sure what that means, but she does seem a little spacy at times. But I have to admit I like her and her freckles are so cute. I guess I'll give 'ol Mack here a chance.

My Cuz, Carson, Is Here!!!!!

Woo-hoo!! My cousin, Tallulah Carson, arrived today. She is soooo cool. She's a REAL journalist and photographer and has a wicked classic sense of style. I've always looked up to Carson. We should have so much fun together. And maybe she'll help me with some of my journalistic projects.

Eye of Newt

Well, we have another new girl in the neighborhood. Her name's Newt Titania and she's really into fairies. You'd think she's some kind of fairy queen or something by how she talks about them. She goes on and on about the rose fairy, the lily fairy, the oak fairy, Astrid this, and Puck that. Anyway, she's definitely on the eccentric side. Green hair and everything. However, like the good journalist I am, I'm reserving judgement on her (until I know more anyway). Did I mention she has green hair?

My New Groovin' Look

I love my new cape and hat that I got for fall. It has the grooviest mushrooms on it. Happy mushrooms!! Mushrooms that might possibly be using mushrooms!! And I stole these glasses from Fred, but don't tell her; she hasn't missed them yet.

A Purple-Haired Girl

Okay, now I've seen everything. We now have a girl with purple hair living in our neighborhood. Her name's Pandora Fox, which I think is funny because it makes me think of Pandora's box. Anyway, as long as she doesn't unleash misery on our gang, I guess she's welcome.